Keeping pace with the rapid advance of library technology and electronic services can be both exciting and daunting, especially for libraries with a small (but mighty!) staff. Out of necessity, small staffs often undertake many disparate tasks to keep electronic resources running smoothly for users. Because of these constraints, it is useful for…

Although the term lacks a standard definition, learning commons represent academic library spaces that provide computer and library resources as well as a range of academic services that support learners and learning. Learning commons have been equated to a laboratory for creating knowledge and staffed with librarians that serve as facilitators of…

The paper proposes and describes a framework for academic library quality to be used by new and more experienced library practitioners and by others involved in considering the quality of academic libraries' services and provision. The framework consists of eight themes and a number of questions to examine within each theme. The framework was…

Library customers have more remote information choices than ever before, so we must ensure that when they do come to the library, they experience a welcoming environment, a high standard of service, and receive equitable levels of service across campus. Developing a customer service program was a logical next step to reinforce the ongoing…

How have college and university-based archives and special collections fared over the past few years in the midst of an historically grim economic downturn? The authors conducted in-depth interviews with directors of 13 archival repositories at state universities and private colleges in the Appalachian region of Virginia, West Virginia, North…

As libraries change to meet the evolving needs of our patrons, including the development of online services, many libraries are considering consolidating physical service points to maximize staff and better serve the in-house patron. This article describes the planning, implementation, and evaluation process involved in merging the circulation and…

This book, written by a number of library professionals, familiarizes the reader with the motives for and purposes of evaluation and the major contexts and models for evaluation and provides explicit examples how evaluation projects have been and can be carried out in a variety of library contexts. The strategies in this book grew from the S:OLE…

Provides a framework of topics that should be covered by a policy manual on cooperative reference services. It is organized into sections on mission statement, administration, delivery of services, and evaluation of services, and is intended for use in conjunction with existing RASD (Reference and Adult Services Division) documents. (Author)

Examines the problem of measuring library performance objectively, with particular attention to the service rendered to the users of the library. (Author)

Numerous state impact studies show that school libraries improve student achievement and standardized test scores, yet that fact is insufficient to keep financially strapped districts from closing their libraries. Teacher-librarians must be proactive and gather data at the school-site level to demonstrate how valuable they are to students and…

This discussion of the importance of the law library as a laboratory for anyone involved in a legal proceeding focuses on the role and function of the law school library. Library staff, facilities, new technologies, budget, and evaluation are noted. (EJS)

Since the publication of the third edition of this book in 1961, numerous changes have occurred in the policies, procedures, functions and technology of academic librarianship. The present volume incorporates the literature of the past 13 years, and the author concludes that while the changes implied through the literature are significant and…

The eight papers in this collection were presented at five sections of the Division of Management and Technology: (1) "The State Conservation Programme (Concept Approach)" (Tamara Burtseva and Zinaida Dvoriashina, USSR); (2) "La communication a distance de banques d'images pour le grand public (Public Access to Image Databases via…

This study provides an overview of the community and the status of the library through an examination of the city of Virginia Beach, including its demography and needs, as well as the history, organization, administration, and financial support of both the Virginia Beach Public Library System and the Oceanfront Branch Library. The information is…

This guide brings together all aspects of administration of a school media center in light of the new qualitative standards in "Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs." The book focuses on practical considerations within a single school as reflected in the new developments in organizing and administering the…